New Seniors Housing Opens on West Side of Chicago

By Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor

Chicago—Habilitative Systems Inc. has opened the Enola A. Dew Apartments for Senior Living on the West Side of Chicago. The $10 million, 60-unit complex was funded by HUD and the city of Chicago Department of Housing.

Named for the late Enola A. Dew, a local community health educator and organizer, the property’s one-bedroom units are all air conditioned and fully accessible. The apartment building also features a green roof.

Donald J. Dew, president and CEO of Habilitative Systems (and son of Enola Dew), tells MHN that funding for this kind of property is an ongoing concern, and it’s likely to remain so in the foreseeable future. “Certainly, [housing] becomes a paramount concern for our senior population in the future,” he says. “As we know, our senior population is increasing and the need for this type of affordable housing will surely increase.”

Indeed, Census Bureau estimates put the number of Americans over 65 at 89 million by 2050, a vast increase from the 39 million that age in the 2010 Census. Of that large pool of seniors in 2050, about 20 million will be older than 85; only 4 million Americans are that old now.

Habilitative Systems is one of the largest human services employers on the West Side, with 200-plus employees serving more than 7,000 Chicagoans at risk of institutionalization, hospitalization, incarceration and mortality. In the last 10 years, HSI has invested $100 million in the West Side community, including the development of two other senior/disability housing projects.